Which Airline and Which Fare?
When you are deciding on which airline or class of travel to use for your next trip there are a number of factors you should take into consideration.
It's always a good idea to advise your travel consultant as to which airline frequent flyer programme you are a member of, and if you want to accrue mileage points more with one particular scheme than another. You may have more than one airline frequent flyer membership, and on occassions these may overlap with airlines that they partner.
There are three main strategic alliances: One World, Star Alliance and Sky Team (see Airline Alliance – Travel Tip) and membership of one airline in one of these will allow you to collect mileage on one of the others. There are fares that allow usage of many of these airlines in an alliance on one ticket, thereby maximising your chances of gaining mileage for all or most of your travel. It is important to note however, that the alliance airfares are not always the cheapest. There might be other fares, especially if your route is not complicated that allow you to get the points and save money.
What do I need to know?
Firstly decide where you want to go and if you want to have any stopovers on route. Secondly, which airline frequent flyer schemes do you have and want to use? Thirdly, what class of travel (see Travel Classes – Travel Tips) do you want and more importantly what is your budget. Not all fares are applicable for mileage accrual so if mileage is important make sure that you advise your travel consultant. Some airlines i.e. Qantas will allow accrual through its alliance in One World, but also has alliances of its own that entitles you to claim mileage on many more airlines.
If you want to maximise this advise your consultant so they can get the right ticket for you. Having a membership with every airline is not a good idea as it will not allow you to maximise your point accrual, and more importantly moving up the tier status. e.g. having silver level over the base level often allows dedicated priority check in, extra mileage accrual on flights and in many cases extra baggage allowance, and possibly free lounge access. These are all worthwhile benefits that can be accessed through careful use of one or two main memberships.
Some airlines also have entered into a range of agreements that allows accrual of points on their membership on other airlines and also special fares. e.g. Virgin Australia is offering its members single fares to Europe, Asia and America on one fare through its own alliances with Delta Airlines, Etihad and Singapore Airlines. This means you can get one fare, one ticket and points on all airlines flown.
OK, I know which membership I want to use, what class and how much I have to spend. Be realistic when you have a requirement. If you want to travel to Europe on business class don’t expect to get there on $1000.00. There are some low cost airline options nowadays, that might offer a business class product and great fares, but you will not get points, and even not the level of service of a full service airline. If that’s not important but you want that extra space etc, then this might be a great offering for you.
Depending on the time of year you want to travel you might find airlines have a sale or early bird fares. Outside these periods fares can be quite a lot higher. If you are price dependent and want the cheapest whether economy, business or first class, then you might be able to achieve that if you go indirect. There are often great deals to be had flying through Asia or China on airlines such as China Southern, Korean Air or Japan Airlines, but you will need flexibility in order to find seats. If you have to travel on specific dates then you might be able to access the lowest fares. These fares can also be more restrictive and may not be daily operations, so this is important to decide on should you expect to make changes.
Airlines have now made many more travel options available and you can choose from economy, premium economy, business class and first class. Again the offering from one airline to the next can be very different. Some have individual in seat entertainment with hundreds of channels and some have a central screen with a set movie showing. If this is important, maybe you have young children need entertaining then again let your consultant know? Even some airlines might have new aircraft on one route and old ones on another, so you might get very different service if say flying to Europe via their home city. There are options also now for those that would like to experience a bit of business class luxury, but don’t have quite the budget for the business class fare. Many airlines through their alliances offer mixed class fares. This would mean you fly half the trip in economy and half in business, or half in economy and half in premium economy. This can be a great way to travel and generally the longer flight is the one travelled in the higher class.
Ok so hopefully, I have got you thinking as to which airline and fare is best for you. Don’t forget outline to your travel consultant exactly whayt your requirements are for your next trip.
Again with any of the above you need to decide can you pay now or do you want the flights to be held till nearer the departure, as lower fare options might ask you to pay today, within 3 days or perhaps a determined time before departure. If you don’t expect to make changes then you might opt for this, but if you change a lot it might end up more worthwhile to pay more, not have to issue so early and avoid any problems and fees down the line. So, now you have all the information needed to enjoy your next flight with your chosen airline, in your chosen class of travel and enjoying great mileage accrual on your chosen airline membership. If you need help to decide of course you need to ask your travel consultant for their advice, if they don’t know then you might want to find a consultant that does know to ensure you get what you pay for. Again with any of the above you need to decide can you pay now or do you want the flights to be held till nearer the departure, as lower fare options might ask you to pay today, within 3 days or perhaps a determined time before departure. If you don’t expect to make changes then you might opt for this, but if you change a lot it might end up more worthwhile to pay more, not have to issue so early and avoid any problems and fees down the line. So, now you have all the information needed to enjoy your next flight with your chosen airline, in your chosen class of travel and enjoying great mileage accrual on your chosen airline membership. If you need help to decide of course you need to ask your travel consultant for their advice, if they don’t know then you might want to find a consultant that does know to ensure you get what you pay for.